Higher Suicide Rates in Celiac Disease Patients

What they were studying is correlation, not causation. The results are completely unsurprising, given that celiac patients have a higher risk of treatment-resistant depression. Furthermore, there are grueling situational effects that can lead to depression, unrelated physiologically to the celiac itself. Some of these are lack of adequate medical treatment, family support, or social inclusion.

Better studies need to be designed to tease out these effects, and to test why celiac has the neurological impacts often observed in patients.

Celiacs develop nutritional deficiencies, and some of these may be linked to developing depression. Selenium, perhaps. The B vitamins, perhaps. The pre-hormone called D3, even. If there is causation - and I would put money on it - this would surely be the area to examine.

Do gluten sensitives, as well as celiacs, develop nutritional deficiencies? Science has no idea. Dr Alessio Fasano, your research is crucial to gluten sensitive mothers of gluten sensitive highly anxious/depressive autistic children across the globe. Please hurry.

It is now 2016, have there been more recent studies on suicide and celiacs? Gluten free for 1 year now, feel better overall, but still very depressed.

The very first thing I thought of when I got my diagnosis was that I wanted to kill myself. 

A year later I still feel just as upset. This is an unacceptable way to live. 

I can't enjoy restaurants because the only safe one is 15 miles away with a limited menu. I can't enjoy free food from work or rewards at work. I can't enjoy festivals. Travel is stressful. Socializing is harder. Any other activity that used to involve food is ruined. 

I just flat out don't want to live this way.

But I have a family who needs me and pets who need me and I am afraid of going to hell if I commit suicide, so I do my best to tolerate this from day to day the best I can and try to force myself to live with it. 

I have two things that keep me hopeful. One is that there may eventually be a medical cure and the other is that as a Christian believer I believe I'll one day receive a glorified disease free body to replace this defective one. 

5 hours ago, Guest Wendy Domino said:

The very first thing I thought of when I got my diagnosis was that I wanted to kill myself. 

A year later I still feel just as upset. This is an unacceptable way to live. 

I can't enjoy restaurants because the only safe one is 15 miles away with a limited menu. I can't enjoy free food from work or rewards at work. I can't enjoy festivals. Travel is stressful. Socializing is harder. Any other activity that used to involve food is ruined. 

I just flat out don't want to live this way.

But I have a family who needs me and pets who need me and I am afraid of going to hell if I commit suicide, so I do my best to tolerate this from day to day the best I can and try to force myself to live with it. 

I have two things that keep me hopeful. One is that there may eventually be a medical cure and the other is that as a Christian believer I believe I'll one day receive a glorified disease free body to replace this defective one. 

Wendy, please reach out and join Celiac.com’s forum.  I think you will find many people who have walked in your shoes.  I have been gluten free for seven years.  While it has been an adjustment, the trade off for good health has been so much better.  If an online forum is not for you, consider joining a local celiac disease support group or a group that deals with chronic illness.  
 

Please also make sure your celiac disease is not active.  Your doctors should be providing you with follow-up care.  
 

I wish you well,  

Wendy, 

I'm sorry you're feeling so depressed and frustrated about your Celiac diagnosis.  

My pastor described life events we don't want to go through as "a Call to Nineveh."  Surely you remember the story of Jonah.  He was called by the Lord to go preach to Nineveh, but Jonah was very opposed to going.  Like many here on the forum, the diagnosis of Celiac Disease is a call to make lifestyle changes that can be scary, frustrating, and plain difficult.  

Jonah tried hiring a boat to take him far away, but the Lord caused a storm to impede the boat's progress.  The storm became so violent, the people on the boat threw Jonah overboard to save themselves.  My pastor asked me to reflect on how my negative behavior and negative thoughts were affecting those in the boat with me.  By focusing on what one cannot do, or what one cannot have, or what one can no longer be, the storm around the boat gets worse and ruins other passengers' trip.  Do other people in your boat notice your depression and change their behavior because you are in a bad mood?  

Thrown overboard, Jonah got swallowed by the large fish and after three days was spat upon the shore near Nineveh.  A retreat inside a fish.  Kick and scream and wail and cry inside that fish.  Get it all out of your system.  Then be still and listen to the Lord.  And when the fish spits you out, know that the Lord knows where you are, he knows what you need, he will provide everything you need to make this journey.  Count your blessings.  Count the people and pets in your life who want to see you healthy, successful and happy.  

Reflect on how are you going to let your light shine during this trip through Celiac Nineveh.  You said you had family.  Celiac Disease is genetic.  All first degree relatives should be tested for celiac disease.  This means your parents, siblings, and your children should be checked.  What sort of shining light would you like to be for them if they also have Celiac Disease?  What sort of example would you like to be for your friends and coworkers?  As someone who with grace accepts and is successful in the path the Lord has directed your feet?  Or as someone sitting around in sackcloth and ashes?

Social gatherings need not be about hedonistic gluttony.  While you're eating your gluten free brown bag food, be interested in the people that are there.  What are their worries or their joys?  Can you be of service and minister to their concerns?  Can you rejoice with them about their successes on their journeys, instead of focusing on how delicious that donut you can't have is?  Ask for a bouquet of flowers or balloons for yourself to be included with office food-based reward parties.  Flowers and balloons can be used as centerpieces at parties and you can take them home and enjoy them long afterwards.

Take care of yourself so you're in top shape for this journey.  Discuss with your doctor the possibility that malnutrition caused by poor absorption due to intestinal damage caused by Celiac can be the root of your depression.  Many Celiacs suffer from vitamin and mineral deficiencies.  Some are very obvious, like anemia, others are subclinical and hard to detect by blood tests alone.  Extra B vitamins can be beneficial.  There are eight essential B vitamins. They are water soluble and can be lost quickly or used up quickly in times of stress (including emotional stress), so replenishing them every day is important.  Subclinical deficiencies in many B vitamins can manifest as depression.  Thiamine (B1), Niacin (B3), Pyridoxine (B6), and Cobalamine (B12) are all B vitamins that are being used to treat depression.  Vitamin D and magnesium deficiencies are also related to depression. 

I struggled with vitamin and mineral deficiencies that caused severe depression.  I contemplated suicide.  The Lord led me to answers.  Once the deficiencies were corrected, my journey became easier.  I also found having a little book with encouraging psalms and Bible verses helpful.  You know the kind, with verses for different topics and feelings.  I think I have one in every room, actually.  

Whatever path the Lord puts you on, he will  provide knowledge, resources, and people to help you.  Join the forum, ask questions, research topics.  We're here to welcome, encourage and support you.  

Hope this helps,

Knitty Kitty

On 7/14/2020 at 5:56 PM, Guest Wendy Domino said:

The very first thing I thought of when I got my diagnosis was that I wanted to kill myself. 

A year later I still feel just as upset. This is an unacceptable way to live. 

I can't enjoy restaurants because the only safe one is 15 miles away with a limited menu. I can't enjoy free food from work or rewards at work. I can't enjoy festivals. Travel is stressful. Socializing is harder. Any other activity that used to involve food is ruined. 

I just flat out don't want to live this way.

But I have a family who needs me and pets who need me and I am afraid of going to hell if I commit suicide, so I do my best to tolerate this from day to day the best I can and try to force myself to live with it. 

I have two things that keep me hopeful. One is that there may eventually be a medical cure and the other is that as a Christian believer I believe I'll one day receive a glorified disease free body to replace this defective one. 

I Am so pissed off. I used to live in Norway the latest 10 years. I always found my self a little depressed and tired but in some how I always managed to cope the chronic fatigue. In 2015 I started feeling really sick, with no reason. I started once again showing weak teeth with a weird colour, I started having huge pain and diarrhoea. I decided to go back home and I began searching for the problem. Here in Italy my first result was really shocking: all nutrients were at least 70% lower than the minimum required to be fine. The conclusion of this gastro was that due the fact I worked with wine, I was experiencing an ash winter my nutrients were low. Than as it happened already on my past, I though that it could have been fine and I decided to take s vegan diet with no alcohol for at least 1 year. I really did not get any improvement, I actually increased my chronic fatigue and slowly slowly depression came. I decided than to remove gluten, not completely since my knowledge was not good as today and in somehow I felt tiny bit better for a while but this did not last for long. In 2016 I then started to make control over my celiac disease. I took my genetic test and it came back negative and in that day I said to my self: How is possible that you are experiencing again this chronic fatigue, brain fog and lack of concentration, abdominal pain, muscular weakness, agitation , irritability.....There must be a way to feel better. I then though to my self that since I was not celiac I could have live eating all type of food such pizza, pasta, bread while enjoying beers and whatever I avoided. 2 months after I started having huge pain near by my kidney: one morning my cat jumped on me and I felt one of the worse pain ever and since I never felt pain nearby there I discussed with my doctors and he booked me a bowel scope screening. If any of you took this exams, it first of all really painful and second the preparation for this test last 3 days almost. Waited for the result and another time: everything is alright. From this day I completely lost control. I literally began with self medication suck coke and alcohol. Inside my head I had the vision that I was sick. During this time I fucked up my relationship, my life took a really s$#& direction. I suddently got the final confirmation and that once I removed gluten I literally lost 24 kg. My doctor refused to book an endoscopy,  since those ignorant don't know that you can be celiac even of your genetic test shows negative result. I get my Marsh 3c conformation, in top of that I now experiencing low vitamin d, thyroid issue, hsp..... I feel so uncomfortable. People that once loved me called, said that I was behaving like a victim. The hotel company which I am working for that is called Scandic, even if they knew that I had our disease, were serving me food that contained gluten. I know that everything that happened to me, would have been different, most likely everywhere else. I lost everything I needed, I at least fought for me mental and physical health but I should have done better. I love you guys